Locations

Lakewood Library 50th Anniversary

Happy 50th Anniversary Lakewood Pierce County Library!

Lakewood Pierce County Library turned 50 on Aug. 4, 2013! To celebrate years of serving the community from this location, Pierce County Library System and FRIENDS of Lakewood Library hosted a free community celebration, Aug. 4-17.

The Library System invited residents to share their library story in a book at Lakewood Library or on the Library’s Facebook page.

The City of Lakewood presented a proclamation to the Pierce County Library.

Lakewood Historical Society gave a talk about the history of Lakewood and the Library.

Community members learned about this Library’s early years through a photo exhibit in the upstairs gallery that shared the building’s transformation and many changes to library services.

50th Anniversary Photos

50th Anniversary Celebration

More than 365 people participated in the culminating event on Saturday, Aug. 17, a day-long celebration that included:

Face-painting

Caricature and balloon art

Concert by a Beatles tribute band

Brief remarks about the impact and history of the Lakewood Library made by:

Historic photos

Flora B. Tenzler Memorial Library

Herman E. Tenzler

Senator Slade Gorton

History at a glance

February 15, 1947 - The first Lakewood Library opened in a hobby shop in the Clover Park Building, 6107 Steilacoom Blvd., now home to Lakewood Appliance.

August 1, 1963 - The Flora B. Tenzler Memorial Library opened its doors to the south central residents of Pierce County, known as the Lakes District.

The Tenzler Foundation paid $20,000 to Architect Russell N. Garrison and $5,000 to a consultant for landscape architecture and interior design. The site cost $28,500 and the construction ran $29/square foot, for a total of $250,000.

The state-of-the art library captured the community and instantly became the gathering place.

1964 - The American Library Association, American Institute of Architects, and National Book Committee awarded the Flora B. Tenzler Memorial Library with a First Honor Award.

1974-1975 - The Tenzler Foundation funded an addition to the library, bringing the total square footage to 31,962.

Audio-visual carrels located throughout the building featured headphones and small-screen color Sony Trinitron televisions.

Movie-theater type setup in the meeting room.

Telephone Access Program Line, where people could call and speak with a live operator to request a children's story, a comedy routine, a master gardener or local history program, and consumer information. The service was offered 24/7; recorded reel-to-reel tapes ran Tapline One and live operators ran Tapline Two with individual play-on-demand tape cartridges.

16 millimeter sound films.

8 millimeter silent and sound films.

Slide/tape sets.

Audio cassettes.

Long-playing records.

Lakewood Staff Member Jerry Kaufman

1991-1992: The Friends of the Lakes District Library donated the library building and $350,000 for renovation to Pierce County Library.